We will meet at Brazos Natural foods at 1:30 to carpool out to the farm. Below are directions for anyone wanting to drive out on their own Please RSVP to tnewman8@suddenlink.net before the 27th so I can let the farm know how many to expect.

Directions: I will write the directions as if driving north on Hwy. 6 (bypass).
Take the Old Reliance Rd. exit from 6. This exit is occurs shortly after the Briarcrest exit. At the stop sign, turn right onto Old Reliance Rd. Travel about 2 miles on Old Reliance until it makes a sharp right turn (you will pass the new Bryan High School on your right side and a small subdivision called “Siena”). When Old Reliance turns right, follow it (a blue sign is posted saying “Winery” or something similar). Follow Old Reliance about 1/2 mile until it curves to the left. Do not take this curve; instead, turn slightly right and go uphill. You are now on Austin’s Estates Road. Take this about 1/4 mile and you’ll see a mailbox at the road with 4300 on it.  You will be entering the property on the left side of the road. Kate will be in a green Toyota Tacoma truck and will meet you at the mailbox to lead everyone in to the garden.

Steve King & Anne Vonk will talk about the Student research CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture).

Future Events:

The semi-annual Locavore Luncheon is scheduled for May 5th . . . more details soon.

Wateroak Farms, owned by Mark and Pam Burrow, started in 1998 with just a few goats meant to supply the family with fresh milk. The farm quickly grew in herd and popularity and now sells a wide variety of products such as milk, yogurt, cheeses, and ice cream. Wateroak’s ice cream was named one of the “Top 10 Desserts in 2003″ by the Austin Chronicle Food Editor and their selection of cheese is used by some of Austin’s top chefs. But you don’t have to be a member of the farm to enjoy these delicacies, our very own Brazos Natural Foods and Village Foods stocks Wateroak Farms’ products. To learn more about the farm, visit their website:  http://www.dairygoathaven.com

Don’t miss this opportunity to meet the owners and tour the dairy.

Everyone is welcome! Please RSVP before Feb 23rd if possible so that I know about how many maps to prepare and be sure to let me know if you have any questions. Hope to see you on the 26th!

This Spring look forward to the following events:
March 3 12:30pm – Locavore Lunch at Village Cafe in Downtown Bryan – With a seedling and seed swap!
April – Date TBD – Pick your own fruit tour
May 5 12:30 pm – Locavore Lunch at Village Cafe in Downtown Bryan
June 2 – Potluck and Business Meeting

This month’s Brazos Locavore event will be on Saturday Nov. 5th at Village
Café in Downtown Bryan. Village Café will be creating a special lunch menu
featuring fresh local food! Along with lunch there will be a short
presentation from two local farmers. Brady Grimes, the farm manager for the
A&M Student Farm, will share about how students at A&M have started an
organic farm. Mike Richardson, from Richardson Farms, will share about his
family’s farm and how to order a great locally raised turkey for your
Thanksgiving meal (they also have chicken, duck, beef, lamb, and flour for
purchase year round).

So mark your calendar and plan to experience great food while supporting
local farmers!

When: Saturday November 5, 12:30 to 1:30

Where: Village Café in 210 West 26th Street in Downtown Bryan

More information online:

A&M Student Farm: http://studentfarm.tamu.edu/

About Richardson Farms: http://richardsonfarms.com/Farm_Information.htm

Richardson Farms meat order form: http://richardsonfarms.com/Order_Form.htm

Village Café: http://www.thevillagedowntown.com/

Our first farm tour for the fall season will be Sunday September 18th at 1pm!

Join us as we head to the Blackwood Educational Land Institute. Blackwood’s primary mission is education and particularly for young students. Check out their website for more information:http://www.blackwoodland.org/

Highlights of the tour will include a very mature organic chef’s garden (potage) and teaching lab for young students. Also they have high quality produce growing in a gorgeous garden that is as an example of how the home gardener can grow produce of much higher quality than store grown organic.

If you are interested in going on the tour join the carpool group leaving Brazos Natural Foods in Bryan at NOON!

We will head to south to Hempstead for a 1pm tour. There is a $10 donation recommended for this tour.

Please RSVP to Nathanael before Thursday Sept 15 at brazoslocavores@gmail.com

Here is a summary of the upcoming events:

Saturday Nov 5 12:30 – Locavore Lunch at Village Cafe

Early December - Pulletpallooza (Backyard Chicken Tour) and Fall Home Garden Tour

January - Millican Farm Tour – Hot house tomatoes

February - Wateroak Farms – Goat Dairy in Bryan

March - Locavore Lunch at Village Cafe

I have been slowly transforming my suburban backyard into a garden/orchard/vineyard. Really coming along after a few  years of building, planting, digging up (the wrong varieties), replanting (the right varieties) and generally just having fun. I learned so much on Locavore field trips about what to plant, how to plant and how to grow. The people who are making a living at this know their stuff.

Take a look at the pictures I have posted here and post some pictures of your own gardens!

This will be a great event for everyone interested in supporting good local food. We hope it will be the first of many similar lunches!

Cost: No cost to attend, food and drink will be available for purchase at Village Cafe

Who: Open to all, children welcome

What: Locavore Lunch featuring RoundAcre Farm

When: Saturday May 21, 2011 12:30 – 1:30 pm

Where: Village Cafe 210 W. 26th Street, Bryan, TX 77803 (Downtown Bryan)

Why: Help support the local food system and learn more about great local food

For more information contact Nathanael at brazoslocavores@gmail.com

The March trip will be a special treat for those of you who frequent the Brazos Valley Farmers’ Market, because Leaning Tree Farm is home to Lois and Garlin Vaughn, by far the largest vendor at the farmers’ market. The Vaughns have grown their farm as the demand has steadily increased at the market. They now provide a wide variety of vegetables, seasonal fruits, jams and jellies, and herbs.

Come visit the farm with us and see how they work their magic, turning the tiniest of seeds into the beautiful fruits and veggies we see every week at the farmers’ market. But be prepared for beauty – both the peach and plum trees should be blooming by the time we arrive. Here’s the scoop:

When: Sunday, March 27 (1:00 PM)

Where: Brazos Natural Foods (we’ll meet in the parking lot and carpool out to the farm). The farm is located just off of Hwy 6 south of College Station.

Everyone is welcome and don’t forget to bring the kids! These field trips are a wonderful opportunity to teach our little ones about where good food originates.

Please RSVP to Nathanael by Wednesday, March 23. This is so that I am able to provide enough maps to carpoolers as well as inform the farm as to how many people to expect. If you have any questions, just let me know. See you there!

P.S. Want to receive the latest news on upcoming field trips and events straight to your email? Join the Brazos Locavores Google Group.

Located 50 miles south of Bryan-College Station on 10.5 acres in Field Store Community, Texas, Blue Heron Farm specializes in fresh goat cheeses. The tour will cost $5 (max $20.00 per family) will start at 2pm. They have three mama goats, which may give birth in late Feb, so there may be babies. Christian & Lisa also allow everyone on the tour to milk a goat and sample lots of cheese.

Here’s the scoop:

* When: Sunday, February 27 (1:00 – 5:00) – TOUR STARTS AT 2PM, CARPOOL LEAVES AT 1PM.

* Where: Brazos Natural Foods (we’ll be meeting in the parking lot and carpooling out to Blue Heron Farms http://blueherontexas.com/ )

* RSVP: to brazoslocavores@gmail.com by Wednesday February 23^rd (this allows us to prepare the farm for the number of visitors)

Everyone is welcome, the trip cost is $5 per person, $20 per family, and don’t forget to bring the kids. These field trips are a wonderful opportunity to learn about where good food originates.

If you have any questions, just let me know. See you there!

ALSO . . . mark your calendar:

Monday Feb 21^st 10am to 3pm “Family Farms and Local Foods Education Day” in Texas State Capitol Austin, Texas for more information check outhttp://farmandranchfreedom.org/upcoming-meetings

Sunday March 27 1pm to 4pm – Leaning Tree Farm Tour – Popular Farmers Market Vendor near Millican, Texas

April Date TBD– Yonder Way Farm Tour (http://yonderwayfarm.com/) sustainably raised chicken, beef, and pork farm near Brenham

Saturday April 30^th 3pm to 7pm –On the Farm Dinner (tickets will be $40 – $50 per person) at Home Sweet Farm with Slow Food Austin – if you are interested please let us know. More information coming soon.

June – Peaches, blueberries, blackberries with Bluebird Orchard in Franklin, Texas

July – Business meeting – if you would like to be more involved with Brazos Locavores or would like to suggest new farms to tour let us know.